Learner driver mows down 70-yr-old woman in Kandivli, injures 2

By Shirish Vaktania |Posted 23-Jul-2014

The 50-year-old man stepped on the accelerator instead of hitting the brakes, knocking down the victims one after the other in Charkop

It didn’t take more than a minute for an amateur driver from Kandivli to run over a senior citizen and knock down two other people, after mixing up the brakes with the accelerator. Rajendrakumar Dixit (50), a Kandivli-based priest, lost control of his car in the middle of a driving lesson on Monday afternoon in Charkop, leading to the casualties.

One of the victims, 70-year-old Shalini Raikar, succumbed to her injuries at a private hospital, while the other two have sustained grievous injuries. Dixit, a resident of Bhagyoday Society in Charkop, Kandivli (West) has been arrested. The deceased, Raikar, was a single woman who resided in Shivang building, Sanghvi Nagar, Mira Road.

The other two victims are Ranjan Limbachia (37) who broke her leg and Rahul Shinde (26), whose condition is critical. According to police officials, the incident occurred on Monday at 2 pm opposite the HDFC Bank near Sector 5 in Charkop.

Dixit had purchased a new WagonR recently and hired a driver. On Monday, he asked his driver to sit in the passenger seat and teach him to drive. He started driving from Charkop market and a minute later, as he neared Sector 5, he dashed into Limbachia. But instead of hitting the brakes, he floored the accelerator and veered to the right, mowing down Raikar, and then smashing into Shinde.

The two had been waiting by the divider to cross the road and had stopped dead in their tracks after seeing the wild trajectory of the car. A police officer said, “In trying to save Limbachia, Dixit crushed Raikar and ran into Shinde. Both were admitted to the intensive care unit at Shivam Hospital in Charkop. On Tuesday morning, Raikar died while under treatment, and Shinde was shifted to Nanavati Hospital. His condition remains critical.”

Speaking to mid-day, one of Raikar’s relatives said, “She was returning from Kandivli after meeting her childhood friend when the incident took place. She had not married and lived by herself.” Limbachia, who was discharged from hospital after treatment, said, “I work as a public relations officer with a construction firm.

I sustained a leg injury, but I was luckily saved. I have my family with me. The RTO department should not give licences to such people who don’t even know how to drive. The doctor has advised me to rest for one and a half months at home. But, it is difficult to run a household for middle-class people by sitting at home.”

Rahul Shinde’s colleague said, “Shinde is employed at a CA firm in Charkop as an office boy. He had gone to the bank for office work when he met with the accident. The accused should be punished for this crime. And he should join a driving school.”